Double Coverage

Archives for September 2017

Mississippi State opened SEC play on Saturday with a thoroughly dominant 37-7 win over LSU, while Ole Miss went west and came back with a loss.

On this episode, Logan looks back at the Bulldogs’ big win (2:32) in front of a raucous Davis Wade Stadium crowd. The victory pushed MSU into the national rankings, and as a bonus, it looks like Dan Mullen has found himself a field goal kicker in Jace Christmann.

Just three games into the Todd Grantham era, and State’s defense looks a lot better than it did last season (6:44). Aside from one drive in the first half, LSU sputtered offensively all night.

As for Ole Miss, it suffered its first loss of the season, 27-16 at Cal (8:34). The Rebels’ normally explosive offense was held in check, in part because of injuries to receiver A.J. Brown and center Sean Rawlings. And the running game just never got going.

On the plus side (13:41), the defense looked better against the run, and C.J. Moore made two interceptions.

MSU is dealing with injuries to some key players (22:27), including Gabe Myles and Malik Dear. They might or might not be back for this week’s game at Georgia, a team with a lot of MSU ties (25:42).

Ole Miss is off this week before facing Alabama (27:46), and one thing coach Matt Luke wants to work on is reducing penalties.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss are both 2-0, but bigger tests await this weekend for them.

MSU is coming off a win over Louisiana Tech (4:21) in what Logan said was “the most bizarre” game he’s ever covered. It featured blocked extra points, two touchdowns by nose guard Jeffrey Simmons, and a third-and-93.

Ole Miss, meanwhile, pulled away from UT Martin (11:00), and Parrish there are some areas that clearly still need a lot of work. Namely, the run game on both sides of the ball. The Rebels travel to Cal this week in a game that could prove big in the larger picture (14:05), and that iffy run defense will be tested by Bears running back Patrick Laird (23:57).

On the plus side for Ole Miss (15:39), Parrish says the wide receivers have been as good as advertised, QB Shea Patterson looks better than he did at the end of last season, and defensive lineman Josiah Coatney has been a pleasant surprise.

Logan says MSU’s offense has been strong in the run game (20:20), but it will face a stiff challenge when LSU visits this weekend. Speaking of the Tigers, the last time Ed Orgeron was in Starkville as a head coach, it was the infamous fourth-and-1 play (25:11).

Also on this episode, the guys provide injury updates (26:24), and Parrish talks about Ole Miss’ appearance earlier this week before the NCAA Committee on Infractions (1:47).

Mississippi State and Ole Miss both started their 2017 seasons in fine fashion. The Bulldogs easily dispatched FCS foe Charleston Southern, 49-0, while the Rebels ran past South Alabama, 47-27.

On this episode, Logan looks back at what he calls the most dominant defensive performance he’s ever seen (3:01). MSU allowed only 33 total yards of offense against the Buccaneers’ run-heavy option attack. Logan said the defensive players, led by new coordinator Todd Grantham, got a much-needed confidence boost with the performance.

But there are still questions about the pass defense, which didn’t get much work Saturday, as the visitors threw only eight passes. This week’s opponent, Louisiana Tech, will take to the air often. In previewing that matchup (17:16), Logan says the offensive line needs to play better in some areas.

As for Ole Miss, there was a lot to like about the win against South Alabama (12:43). Receiver A.J. Brown had a huge day, and quarterback Shea Patterson completed 80 percent of his throws. However, the play of the secondary was a mixed bag, and depth along the defensive line is a concern.

The Rebs take on UT Martin, an FCS team, this week. While some observers criticize SEC teams for scheduling FCS squads, Parrish says there are a lot of good reasons to do so (10:26). For one, it will give Ole Miss a chance to work on some key areas. He says that this week (20:58), the Rebels would do well to run the ball more effectively, tackle better and see better poise from Patterson in the early going.